Eye to Eye, Soul to Soul
by Giacinta
Summary: This story is set in the latter half of Season Six, after Sam gets his soul back but before his wall comes down; then it goes rather AU-ish.   The brothers' bond becomes ever stronger, but it's just brotherly, not wincesty.
1. Chapter 1

A primeval darkness enveloped the dense forest, the long fingers of the pale moon casting eerie shadows amongst the spectral branches.

He prowled through the semi-obscurity, as silent as a predator, all his senses on alert. At his back he felt the comforting presence of his brother,  
>their feet skimming over the underbrush, akin to the creatures of the night.<p>

Dean loathed the woods; too many hiding places, too easy for the ungodly to get a jump on you.

Give him the open road any day.  
>The Impala, his cassettes and his brother riding shotgun, that was his idea of heaven but slinking through dank and gloomy trees was very, very low on his to-do list.<p>

This was who he was though, a hunter of the rabid, evil things that roamed the Earth, a curse that had come to him through generations of Human existence, from the very beginning of time.

x

He had finally accepted his lot and knew that it could only end badly for him but as regards to his brother...

Sam, his brother...his heart was heavy when he contemplated the pain and misery of his sibling's life. His intelligent, kind-hearted, sensitive little brother condemned so unfairly to Hell, both on this Earth with the demon-blood and then literally.

He paled at the cruelty of it all. Why Sam?

If he could, he would happily have taken all of Sam's burdens on his own shoulders, his intimate need to protect him so ingrained that it made him who he was, even now as his brother towered over him tall and strong.

x

"Dean," a soft voice disturbed his sombre thoughts, "Dean."

He shook himself from the melancholy recesses of his mind, the voice of his brother anchoring him to the here and now.

"If you don't want to be monster-chow, you gotta keep your mind on the job, man." Sam chided him.

"Cool it, Sam. I'm a hundred percent focused on ganking this were-bitch."

"Dean, I know exactly what you were thinking and you've got to stop all this self-berating over me. Okay!"

He clamped a giant hand on his brother's shoulder and turned him so that their eyes met.

"I know that you would have wanted a different life for me but enough beating yourself up about what might have been!

Don't you think I feel the same about you?

You could have had a career, a wife, a family, but you got stuck with me and this supernatural crap; but man, these are the cards we've been dealt and we have to play them!"

x

Sam's hand squeezed his shoulder, " Dean, I'm exactly where I want to be, at your side, protecting your back."

"Dude, what are you babbling about, I didn't open my mouth. What brought all this on?" countered Dean, annoyed to have had his thoughts so easily read by Sam.

"You don't have to, Dean. I know exactly what you're thinking when your "it's all my fault aura" starts to glow."

"Right, Sammy, you're really going all pretty new-age princess here!" snapped Dean sarcastically.

x

He expected Sam to to present him with a stellar bitch-face but Sam's eyes bored into his, hazel rivalling green, and in that moment there was no concealing the truth, no smart words, no smoke-screens to hide behind.

They inhabited separate bodies but their essence, their souls were one and that oneness was becoming ever more unique and powerful.

Perhaps it was their shared Hell experiences that had entwined them even closer, but neither could now deny their strengthening bond.

Recently they had found themselves touching each other's mind, making themselves understood not only with glances or body language but with their thoughts.

Neither had wanted to dwell on it, they had tried deliberately to ignore it, but they were well aware that it was only a matter of time before the one could meander through the mind and thoughts of the other.

They broke eye-contact, turning in unison towards the werewolf poised in mid-flight,their guns firing in concert, the silver bullets transfixing the beast

x

The stench of the burning corpse lingered in their nostrils and clung to their clothes, as they trudged silently back to the Impala, completely at peace in each other's company. At this point they were no longer sure who they were, what they were, or why they were; they only knew that there was nothing that could divide them, and nothing they wouldn't do for each other.

They opened the doors of the Impala, their eyes meeting briefly over her roof, a smile curving their lips, then the doors slammed shut and she roared off towards the dawning sun.  
>TBC<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

A month later.

Dean basked in the heat of the afternoon sun, its warm soothing rays penetrating every cell of his being, diffusing its life-giving energy throughout his body.  
>He hadn't felt so relaxed since...well, he couldn't remember.<p>

He lifted his head lazily, his eyes searching for that one person who was all important to him.  
>He saw Sam's head bobbing above water, his dark hair sleek against his scalp, and he settled back down onto the threadbare towel that he had taken from their lodgings.<p>

It was unusual, to say the least, to find Sam and Dean Winchester holidaying on a sandy beach but then, the brothers' lives were nothing if not full of surprises!

x

When they had returned to Bobby's from their last hunt, both had been so quiet and withdrawn that Bobby had begun to freak out.  
>He hadn't said anything for the first couple of days, but the lack of the usual brotherly bickering and their extreme interest for the musty old tomes in Bobby's library was just downright creepy.<br>He decided to give it some more time and see if the two would revert to their usual noisy life-style, ( which he couldn't believe he would ever have lamented the loss of ) but things just got worse.

The last straw that broke the camel's back came when he saw Dean take a broom and start to brush the kitchen floor, while Sam, never far away from his brother, had emptied all the kitchen cupboards and was setting everything back in its place in as orderly a fashion as the most obsessed housewife.

"Okay, that's it!" growled Bobby from behind his desk.  
>"You two get your butts over here right now before you drive me to drink! Oh,wait; you already have! I'll upgrade to drugs; some of those sweet coma-inducing ones!"<p>

The brothers exchanged guilty glances and came over to stand together where Bobby had been researching.

x

"Right, what the hell is going on here? I've put up with days of silence and brooding, but I draw the line at having my kitchen messed up by you two idjits."  
>"Bobby, we...," began Dean.<br>"Don't go fishing for excuses, boy," interrupted Bobby. "Now start talkin' !"  
>"There's nothing wrong...," Sam began.<br>"I SAID TALK!"

Dean consulted Sam with a shared eye-exchange, gave a heart-felt sigh, and opened his mouth.  
>"You remember the werewolf hunt we finished days ago?"<br>"Yeah, so...?"  
>"Well something happened, something weird..." he continued. "Dean...!" Bobby growled.<p>

"Sam read my thoughts...," Dean sprouted off as fast as he could; maybe if he said it quickly, it wouldn't be true.  
>"Okaay,... you mean that Sam knows what you're gonna do before you do it because he 'understands' you so well. So, what's new...?<br>"No, Bobby, Sam read my thoughts... literally, ...down to the last word, " Dean precised.

"Whoa, boy; you mean telepathy?" Bobby's eyes latched on to Sam's who nodded hesitantly.

x

The older man sat back in his chair, imagining the soothing oblivion of the afore-mentioned drugs.  
>He loved these two extraordinary boys, he couldn't pin the exact moment of that revelation but it was now gospel and every new complication that was thrown their way affected him too.<p>

"Okay, boys, explain yourselves," he sighed.

"Well, " volunteered Sam eagerly, seemingly happy to talk about this now that it had come to the surface. " We were searching the woods for the werewolf and I sort of heard Dean voicing off about me and how he thought my life was crap and how he wished..."  
>"Sam, shut up! You don't have to tell Bobby ever word, he gets the picture." Dean barked, interrupting.<p>

Bobby stifled a smile, Sam would no doubt get chewed out later by Dean for daring to expose his inner thoughts, even if it was only to him.

"Then," continued Sam, after flashing a strength-six bitch-face back at Dean. " When I called Dean out on all the moping he was doing, he turned on me as if I had bitten off his ass! Fact is, he hadn't opened his mouth and I had just...heard the words in my head..."

..."and then," chimed in Dean. "Something just seemed to switch itself on and I could hear Sasquatch here, in my mind, warning me about the werewolf jumping us. Well, honestly, it wasn't unusual for us to feel as if we could understand each other without needing words, but it had never been so friggin' literal until now! Bobby, we were so freaked out that we've been trying to avoid talking about it, even between ourselves."

Bobby pondered the fact that he wasn't particularly taken aback by what the boys had told him. He had been witness to the silent communication between Sam and Dean countless times and telepathy just seemed a natural progression to that.  
>"I gotta admit," he murmured to himself. "These two boys are never gonna stop surprising me."<p>

He raised his head to find two pairs of apprehensive eyes watching him, as if waiting to hear the judge's sentence.  
>"You know what, boys..I think you two need to get away from it all! You need a holiday to deal with this. I got a friend who has a flat near the ocean, and I'm gonna call in a favour!"<p>

"But Bobby... !" they began in unison. "No, buts, there's nothing goin' on right now, so you two are gonna get your butts on the beach and explore this whole telepathy business. If it works out, your huntin's gonna be a whole lot easier from now on."

x

So the Winchesters had found themselves in the unusual situation of chilling out in a sea-side flat with nothing to do all day but lie on the beach and frolic in the warm sea, and of course deal with that annoying telepathy business!

Dean wondered drowsily about Bobby, as he settled in more comfortably on the warm sand. He always seemed to have someone who was owing him a favour; a never-ending stream of people with cabins in the woods, houses at the sea-side, and all sorts of hideaways around the country.  
>He was beginning to believe that Bobby was really some kind of millionaire recluse and all these places were really his!<p>

'Naa..'.was his last conscious thought as he drifted off into sleep.

tbc


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

xxxxxxxxxx

He awoke to the patter of cold rain on his bare chest, or so he thought until his eyes flew open and saw the grinning face of his brother shaking his shaggy wet locks all over him.

"Dude, you looked as if you were enjoying your nap too much so I thought I'd freshen you up a little," smirked Sam.

Dean lunged forward with the velocity of a striking cobra and threw his grinning brother onto the warm sand.

"Sasquatch, you don't know what you've just started. If you want a war I'm up for it!"

He held Sam down and covered his wet brother in sand until he looked like the "Creature from the Swamp."

"Enough Dean, I surrender!" laughed Sam as he squirmed out of his brother's grasp and loped off towards the ocean, knowing that Dean wouldn't follow him in, having exhibited a cat-like allergy to the sea-water.

x

Dean lay back down on the towel.

It had been one of the happiest days of his life, and Sam's too, if his brother's unlined, relaxed smiley-face was anything to go by, amplified by the boundless energy that his continual soaks in the sea seemed to have bestowed on him.

He silently thanked Bobby for packing them off on holiday.

The rumbling of his stomach made itself heard authoritatively, reminding him that they had been on the beach all day with only a couple of bottles of water to keep them company.

He pulled himself to his feet and pulled on his jeans and a tee-shirt. He wasn't a shorts' man and had only agreed to strip off at the insistence of his brother, who assured him that sitting on the beach in full dress mode would get him far more unwanted attention than if he was in shorts.

Well, he had gotten plenty of stares just the same, as the amount of women who casually passed by, studying him from under their lashes was imposing.

He smirked to himself, "Might just take some of them up on that!"

However they hadn't been sent off by Bobby just to beach-comb, but to investigate the telepathic connection that they had discovered during their last hunt.

They hadn't yet approached the subject, still embarrassed about bringing it into the open, afraid to open a can of worms that they weren't sure how to handle.

x

Dean walked down towards the sea-shore, his eyes searching out his brother.

"Okay, this is it," Dean reflected. "No more procrastinating!"

He had absolutely no idea how to go about it; neither he nor Sam had ever tried to actively communicate via telepathy since the time it had happened spontaneously in the forest.

He closed his eyes and tried to picture his brother in his mind.

"Sam, get your butt back here now, " he sent out, feeling an absolute idiot.

Nothing!

He tried again, and at the edge of his thoughts he felt a familiar presence, "Dean... Dean...is that... you?"

Strange as it might seem, Dean "heard" the awed edge to Sam's question as if it had been formulated by the spoken words.

"Now who else do you think would want to infiltrate your big geek-boy brain?" Dean sent back, utterly astonished by just how normal it felt for him to "speak" to Sam without using his vocal cords.

They had been doing it for ages with their eyes but this was...mind-blowing!

He had expected it to be difficult. Okay, he hadn't really known what to expect, but the utter naturalness of it all was overwhelming!

He wondered what had set it off.

As far as he knew, he and Sam were the only two humans to have been to Hell and back without becoming demons. Could that have booted up their brains to another psychic level, or was it something latent, inherent to the bond they shared as brothers, which had now decided to kick in?b

He didn't know, and didn't really care.

It was a further link to Sam, something that would help him to better carry out his ongoing mission of looking out for his baby brother, even when they were apart and on dangerous hunts.

The happy day he had just savoured had gotten so much better!

x

Sam ran back into the waves.

He was a good swimmer, his powerful shoulders and long arms propelling him effortlessly through the water.

He smiled at the exchange he had just had with Dean. It brought him back to the days when their bantering was the the norm and not the exception.

Dean hated getting wet, other than under the shower, and Sam had delighted in taking his usually alert brother by surprise.

He turned onto his back and floated, enjoying the twin sensations of the sea and sun on his body. In a moment he would head back, as he felt the need to eat something after having passed most of the day swimming in the warm ocean.

x

He was about to head for the shore when he seemed to hear Dean calling to him.

He turned his head towards the beach and saw his brother at the edge of the water, already dressed in his jeans and tee, unusually still.

"Sam, get your butt back here!"

This time he clearly heard Dean's bossy tone, just not with his ears.

He took a deep breath and went underwater.

"Sam, get your butt back here!"

He DID hear it, but in his head. Remaining underwater he tried to send out an answer, "Dean..Dean..is that you..?"

It must have worked because he he distinctly heard in answer, "Now, who else do you think would want to infiltrate your big geek-boy brain'"

x

Sam broke surface, his eyes on his brother. He took another deep breath and went under again.

He had to see if it was true, "Come on in, Dean, the water's fine!"

"Shit, Sammy, is that the most intelligent thing you could think of to say?" was the amused reply.

x

Sam swam with agitated strokes towards the shore and bounced out of the water like an overgrown St. Bernard's puppy, dripping wet hair flying everywhere, and stopped in front of his brother.

They locked eyes, neither words nor telepathy were needed.

Sam threw his 6ft 4in frame on to Dean, emotionally challenged by what had just transpired and needing a reassuring physical contact with his brother, understanding that something astounding had happened and amazed that it had come so naturally to them.

Dean's arms went round his brother, holding on tightly, aware that Sam needed a moment to pull himself together.

They stood there uncaring about the curious glances that were sent their way, and when Dean sensed that his little brother had got a hold on his emotions, he let go.

"Come on Sasquatch, if I don't get some food like right now, I'm gonna collapse and you're gonna have to carry my ass to the nearest diner."

" Yeah, I'm kinda' hungry myself," volunteered Sam, his eyes huge and shining.

Dean answered by raising an eyebrow. "I'll wait in the car," he said not trusting himself to say more.

x

Sam dried himself off and slipped on his jeans and shirt, still replaying in his mind what he had experienced.

"Dean," he tentatively transmitted.

"Dude, get out of my head and into the car or I'm gonna drive off without you."

Sam heard the words clearly in his mind. It was really true then!

His heart beat faster.

He would no longer have to live in fear of losing his brother, and he wondered just how far the contact would extend.

Would they be able to communicate over greater distances?

Well they would just have to experiment.

That's why Bobby had packed them off here after all, was his fond consideration.

When they got back Bobby was gonna be treated to the best night out they could come up with; good food and and a bottle of the best whiskey they could buy!

x

It was midnight when they arrived back at the flat.

Dean had ingested an enormous quantity of food under Sam's disapproving expression after which they had played some pool, without any intent to hustle, but ending up with a tidy sum in their pockets just the same.

They fell into bed, practically asleep before their heads hit the pillow, exhausted by the physical and emotional impact of the day.

"Two little boys afloat on a sea of dreams."

TBC.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four

xxxxxxxxx

The car rolled up the driveway, the roar of its engine loud against the surrounding young men got out of the time-worn but cherished Impala, green duffel bags over their shoulders, and made their way to the front door of the two story edifice set in the middle of an extensive junk-yard; junk-yard filled with the skeletons of once pristine and proud cars, arranged in haphazard rows, waiting to be plundered of any still usable parts.

X

The Winchester brothers, for that's who they were, called this place home, and the owner, if not to his face but in their hearts, called father.

This was an oasis in their apocalyptic world, where they could come for help, shelter or just to wind down after each of the countless life-threatening moments in their young lives.

These boys were very special, both had been burned and tortured in Hell and both had amazingly survived to tell the tale.

X

They had been packed off to the sea-shore by Bobby to work on the recently discovered power of telepathy that had spontaneously developed between them.

At first they had tried to ignore the ephemeral whispers of each other's thoughts that occasionally insinuated themselves into their minds but Bobby had encouraged them to explore and investigate the phenomenon.

He had pulled in a favour, managed to get the use of a flat on the ocean-front and had "persuaded," helped by a symphony of cussing, the stubborn idjits to go on a working holiday and thrash out the implications of their mind-touching.

And that's exactly what they had done.

They had "rocked, papered and scissored" each day to see who would get the morning on the beach and who would drive the Impala further and further out to see if there was a limit to the distance from which their thoughts could be heard.

On their last day, Sam had driven more than a hundred miles out but there seemed to be no confines to their communication.

The brothers had been over the moon, they had no idea why or where this ability had originated, but the idea of always knowing where the other was and being able to communicate over vast distances in times of danger or need, filled them with satisfaction.

They had decided, however to resort to thought transference only in times of emergency, keeping it hidden from everyone except Bobby.

X

They were still high from it all as they knocked on Bobby's door.

The days on the beach had given them both a healthy tan and the repose had rejuvenated

them both, slipping years off their faces and making them look like the two carefree young men they should have been if they hadn't been caught up in the dark world of hunting.

x

"Dean, knock again,maybe he's still out on the couch or something. He usually appears as soon as he hears the Impala in the driveway."

"Dude, I just about broke my knuckles banging on the door," complained Dean.

"Maybe he's gone on a food run."

"No, his truck's parked over there:"

Dean shot a concerned glance at his brother and turned the handle.

"Bobby, it's us. Bobby!"

They pushed open the door and paled as they took in the sight that met their eyes.

It seemed that a tornado had swept through the rooms.

Bobby could never have been called a tidy man but the utter chaos laid out in front of them caused their hearts to contract in fear.

"Bobby! Bobby!" Their panicked voices called in unison.

"God, Dean, What the hell happened here while we were away? Where's Bobby?"

Dean had no answer for hs younger brother, but if the rage that was taking the place of his panic was anything to go by, anyone who had laid a hand on Bobby would wish he had never heard the name Winchester.

x

"Over here Dean." Sam pointed to a blood-stain just inside the door. "Bobby must have opened the door to someone and been..."

"... attacked," finished Dean, holding up Bobby's favourite cap, spotted with blood.

"But why?"

"Do I have to write you a list Sammy? I'm surprised they've left him alone for so long. You know better than me what happens to anyone that gets close to us. We're bad luck, Sam," sighed Dean, sick at heart with fear for Bobby.

"Don't worry, we'll find him." Sam tried to console his brother and heroically pushed back the quiver that was threatening to infiltrate his words.

"Come on Sam, first stop, Sheriff Mills. Maybe she can shed some light on this whole thing.

The brothers ran for the Impala, their fear for Bobby putting wings to their feet.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

When the brothers speak to each other telepathically, I will use the symbol § - § to distinguish it from normal speech.

Chapter Five.

Bobby

x

"God! How is it that a fully- equipped brass band got to be playing in my head," was the first, not too coherent, thought that insinuated its way through his skull.

Little by little the pounding diminished and he felt that maybe now he could try opening his eyes with out puking.

"Well, I would've opened them sooner if I'd known it was so dark," he mumbled grumpily to himself.

The only light that filtered was from a filthy basement window high on one of the slimy walls, barely enough for the occupant to distinguish that, apart from himself and the rickety chair he was tied to, the room was well and truly bare.

He pulled on his bonds but they were expertly tied and didn't give an inch.

There was nothing he could do but wait, and thus he waited calmly for the door, set in one of the walls to open.

Bobby was a courageous man.

Hell he had faced down all kinds of evil things but when he saw the dirt-speckled door starting to open, a chill of anticipation ran down his spine.

"Hello, Bobby, remember me? We didn't really get much time for a conversation last time we met, did we?"

Bobby's heart fell as he recognised the figure framed in the door-way.

Xxxxx

The Impala seemed to have grown wings as it raced along the road to Sheriff Mills' office, its occupants unnaturally silent.

They couldn't remember the last time that they had driven up to the house they now called home, and not seen Bobby come out to greet them.

He was the only constant in their lives outside of each other.

"Dean, do you think that going to the Sheriff is the right move? What can she tell us that could help?"

"Well, Sam, for a start we can rule out any "normal" occurrences like hospitals, car crashes or whatever."

"Dean, I think you're being a bit naive here, Bobby would have called us if he had been able to. Do you honestly think that his disappearance isn't connected to us?"

"Not really, Sammy, I just wanna check out normal first," Dean's voice was wobbly.

"OK, we're here now, so let's do it your way," was Sam's reply, "But we won't get squat. Normal won't cut it this time."

X

The young men went up to the desk and asked for Sheriff Mills.

Jodie had already noted the brothers even before they had reached the front desk

She knew there was something special about them; she couldn't have put her finger on it but the feeling was there nonetheless.

She knew that they hunted supernatural things like Bobby did, but she had never come right out and asked about them, already knowing that very little information would have been forthcoming anyway; and honestly, did she even want to know!

They were two real handsome boys though, set and ready to break any girl's heart!

Her mood shifted and her thoughts flew to her own unfortunate child. She would never know how he would have been as a young man. Would he have been as fine as the two asking for her at the front desk?

As for what had happened to her husband, she just wasn't ready to go there, now or ever!

"Come on, Jodie. That sort of thinking ain't gonna get you anywhere!" she chastised herself, getting up and going out to meet the Winchesters.

x

"Good day, boys. You lookin' for me?"

"Sheriff Mills, have you seen Bobby lately...," She heard the concern in Dean's voice," ...He isn't at the scrap yard and the house is empty," continued Sam, the concern in his voice matching his brother's.

"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen him around town for a few days, but I didn't think anything of it. He's not exactly the party-going type, you know." Jodie declared.

"We just wanted to check with you first, that he hadn't had an accident or maybe left a message or something," Sam's soothing voice explained.

"Sorry guys, nothing that I know of, but if you think something's happened, I can alert all my men to keep a look-out for him."

"Thanks Sheriff. We'll go on back to the yard and check, maybe we missed something." Dean nodded, turning to leave.

"You boys don't worry, now. That old codger can look out for himself, " she reassured them.

She watched curiously as they walked through the outer doors of the police station…

X

§ Dean! §

§ Sammy, I thought we had agreed to keep our telepathic link for emergencies only. §

§ I know Dean, but...I...just… wanted.. I'm scared for Bobby, you know. §

§ Yeah, me too. §

The brothers let themselves be lulled by the comfort, warmth and total acceptance that they experienced in the familiarity of each other's mind.

X

Jodie watched as the two stood just outside the station door completely still, seemingly in some sort of silent contemplation, only to move in perfect synchronisation towards their parked car.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

X

The brothers had returned forlornly to Bobby's place from the Sheriff's office ready to take the place apart bit by bit till they found something, anything, which could give them a clue to Bobby's disappearance.

x

"Look Dean, sulphur!" Sam burst out.

"Son of a bitch, the blood at the front door was strategically planted to make us stop there and be careless about searching the rest of the house. Whoever it was knew we'd be upset on seeing it, and Bobby's hat."

"They were playing for time, " added Sam.

x

In the end it had been all too easy, it would have been enough to have gone up to

Bobby's room and examined the window.

The brothers exchanged a glance, there was no need to say anything; Bobby was in the

clutches of a demon.

"Great, now we got even more reason to be worried than before!" Sam frowned.

"Yeah, Sam, Bobby is definitely number one on any demon's wish-list but up till today they've left him alone. Why take him now?"

"Good question, dude. Why now, indeed!"

"It's because of us, isn't it?" Sam declared unhappily.

"Aw, come on Sammy, we don't know that. It could be any demon. Bobby's killed a lot of them recently, it's probably just a random one out for revenge. We're not at the centre of the universe, it's not always about us."

"You don't believe a word you're saying Dean. You can lie to just about anyone but it's wasted on me. This is about us and you know it," Sam's voice had risen as it often did when he was upset. "We've managed to get everyone who has ever gotten close to us killed and now it's Bobby's turn. He could already be dead for all we know!"

X

Dean marvelled at the expression on his brother's face, a mix of soulful puppy eyes and sad but angry bitchface. He was tempted to pull out his phone and immortalise it, instead he projected serene and comforting thoughts into his sibling's mind and was rewarded by seeing Sam's face calm down and by a mental thank you from his brother.

There would be time for joking and playing around when they got Bobby back.

Dean exited his brother's mind on this last thought.

X

"Right get your Sherlock hat on Sam. Why Bobby? Why Now?" Dean asked.

"Well, we could theorise that something new has come up in the demon dimension which wants to target us specifically; knowing that kidnapping Bobby would upset us and in consequence make us go looking for him."

"In other words, it's using Bobby as bait to get to us," Dean chimed in.

"Yes, Watson," Sam teased, "I think I'll keep you on as my side-kick."

"Shut up, bitch! I'm the elder here. You should be grateful that I let you tag along and learn from my awesomeness."

"Yeah, jerk, I'm hanging on to every word of wisdom that falls from your lips!"

Somehow the bantering made them feel better and they refocused on the task at hand.

X

"OK, even if that's true, how do we find him, Sam? The demon could have taken him anywhere."

"True, but if it's using him as bait for us, then it can't have made it too difficult to follow. It'll have left a trail of crumbs somewhere."

"I'm impressed little bro, let's start looking."

X

Bobby's POV.

XXXXXXXXXX

Bobby waited.

He'd seen enough cop shows to know that too much silence usually forced one of the present to talk and it wasn't going to be him.

Moments passed and sure enough it started talking. Good to know the move works with demons too!

"Aren't you curious as to why you're here," it began.

"I'm convinced you'll tell me in your own sweet time." Bobby grunted.

"Tough guy, eh. You're lucky I've got other things to do first, but I'll get back to you later," the demon assured him.

x

Bobby's ears perked up at that.

"Oh, yeah, and here I though I was the lucky one who was gonna get your attention."

"Sorry, you're just the little fish I needed to catch the big game," sneered the demon.

"and, that would be..." drawled Bobby.

"Come on, you don't need me to explain the obvious. I thought you were smarter than that," it crowed, black eyes flaring, "My ever-loving big brothers, of course!"

tbc


	7. Chapter 7

While this story is AU now, I still want to keep to the season six time-line, so for the necessity of the plot, I have set the action between "Mommy Dearest" and "The Man Who Would Be King."

The brothers know that Crowley is maybe still alive, but not about Castiel's involvement in it all.

Chapter 7

xxxxxxxxxxx

"Okay, Sammy. Those crumbs we were talking about, we gotta find the first one, right, so where do we start?"

"We're talking demons here, so I suppose we could go straight to the horse's mouth," Sam answered shrugging.

"You don't mean...Crowley?"

"Why not? Eve told us he's still alive. This way we kill two birds with the one stone; get proof of that, plus maybe he knows something about the

demon who took Bobby."

"Do you know which spell Bobby used to summon him?"

"Yeah, yeah, Bobby showed it to me...just in case."

"We have to get him back, Sam," concern etched itself on Dean's features.

"We will, Dean, we will."

X

"Right, I'll just go and set up a few safeguards. If Crowley does show up we have to be able to contain him," Dean declared.

" All done. Ready to go, Sam?"

"Yeah, I found the spell; he had it right on his desk; maybe Bobby wasn't all that convinced himself that Crowley was out of the picture."

"Well you don't get to be Bobby's age without covering all your bases."

"Recite the spell Dean and I'll cover you."

"You're the expert, Sam. Your Latin is way better than mine. College boy, remember!"

"That's rubbish, Dean; you are every bit as good as me at Latin so stop trying to appear dumb all the time. You could have gotten a full ride to any university too but you adapted yourself to the persona Dad wanted; the 'quick to take orders Marine-type hunter' that kept him happy."

"Come on Sammy, is this really the moment for one of your in-depth analysis of our childhood? We've got more important things to do. Anyway, why keep a dog if you have to bark yourself! Bitch!"

"You are a double Jerk, Dean!"

"That's why you love me, Sammy!"

X

X

Crowley appears

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Well, well, well; look who called me up, my favourite tousle-headed, denim-wearing, teen-bop models."

"Crowley. So it's true, you ARE still alive."

"Technically, dumb-dumbs, I'm dead-demon remember!-but yes, I'm still up and running! Now why have you two disturbed me? Looking for a job, are you? You know, Hell's a tad boring lately; maybe I could set up a couture fashion show for you.

Plenty of top-class designers in the Pit.

We could rig up a catwalk; cheer my souls up a bit; get you two up there prancing along; it'll make their day."

"Shut up Crowley!" the brothers snarled in unison.

"I'll take that as a no. So! What do you want Deano? Oh and where's my kissing partner? Bobby not around today, then?"

"Just because you don't see him doesn't mean he's not here. Let's say he's our secret weapon." Dean growled.

"That's not what I heard. A little bird whispered in my ear that he's in a spot of bother," Crowley smirked, a sly expression on his face.

"That so?" Dean replied dead-pan.

"Yes, some little demon with a grudge, I've been told, but I don't listen to gossip. You know me, serious as they come; all work and no play." Crowley postured.

"That little bird tell you anything else, Crowley?"

"Sam, as it's you that's asking and given the fact that you're my favourite moose, I'll just say that the person you're looking for isn't too far away. He's in or around Sioux Falls. Now I've told you too much already. Let me out of the Devil's trap that you've put me in and I'll toddle off. No hard feelings!"

x

"Why didn't you die when Cass burned your bones?" Dean asked curious.

"Well now, he's your friend, Deano. Why not ask him! After all, demons lie but angels always tell the truth, don't they?

Now, either you kill me with one of your demon killing toys or you let me go. I've got a business to run."

x

"Let him go, Dean, he's not going to tell us any more anyway. Our first priority is Bobby. We can get back to Crowley later." Sam exclaimed.

"Aw, moose, that's why you're my favourite; all heart!"

"Shut up Crowley or I'll let Dean loose on you. Don't think you've seen the last of us though!" Sam bitched back

"You're in a slow opening trap, Crowley. We'll be well away before you get out. Enjoy your wait," Dean crowed before following his brother out of the front door.

X

"Dean, phone's ringing," Sam said as they jumped into the Impala.

"It's Jodie, here, Dean. Someone's reported seeing lights in the old Jerome farmstead a few miles out of town.

It's been deserted for years. Could just be a hobo but if you want to check it out, go ahead."

x

"Thanks Sheriff, we'll head out there now."

"Need any help, boys?"

"No, thanks. We'll stake out the place; see if there's anything important. We'll get back to you."

"Be careful, now. I don't want Bobby thinking I haven't been looking out for you."

"We will, Sheriff."

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter eight

* * *

><p>Bobby<p>

xxxxx

Bobby's eyes never strayed from the figure filling the doorway, the surprise evident on his face for a second, but in typical Bobby fashion he reined it in; the fear that the demon might want to harm the Winchesters filled him with apprehension.

He waited for the demon to speak.

x

"Well, Bobby, the first time we met was at your crappy house, though we didn't really get a chance to get well-acquainted and the second time, well I wasn't quite myself as I had Michael in the driving seat," began the Adam demon.

"Now that we've finally got the chance to get cozy, maybe you could tell me why you went to the bother of draggin' my ass down here," Bobby interrupted.

"If you're as smart as you're made out to be, you'll have realised that you're only the minnow I need to catch the big fish," scoffed Adam.

Bobby had suspected as much from the first moment. He knew that it wasn't really him the demons had been after, for killing him in his yard would have been the obvious thing to do. No, they had wanted him for some other reason, and that could only have been those two trouble-attracting magnets that went by the names of Sam and Dean Winchester.

"Now just what would you be wanting with the Winchesters? Whatever it is, you're gonna have to get in line boy; you're not the only one gunnin' for them," drawled Bobby.

"No, but I've got something they care about and I get to jump to the head of the line," smirked Adam.

x

Damn, thought Bobby, those idjits never could catch a break!

He knew that nothing would stop them from coming to rescue his leathery ass, and he felt his gut clench in apprehension as he envisaged them running into the waiting arms of the umpteenth fugly out for their blood, and not just any fugly but their once brother. Well the boys always were about family but he was sure this wasn't what they intended!

" So, now you've got me. What's next?"

"Now we wait."

Truthfully Bobby felt more than a flash of pity for the shell of a boy who stood before him, ensnared in a story bigger than he could ever have dealt with, but the demon big-mouthing him was no longer that young untainted boy.

It was curious how just the thought of Sam and Dean, his boys, evoked feelings that he had never thought to experience, feelings of fatherhood, and knowing that the boys reciprocated those very sentiments, in a way made him feel invincible, for he was sure that even if he was killed by the unfortunate young man standing before him, that love would continue to exist into the after-life.

He felt it close around him like a protective armour.

"God, Bobby!" he mentally upbraided himself. "You sure pick the right moments to pull out your lady parts. You should be thinking on a way to get yourself out of this mess instead of getting all sentimental over them two idjits!"

x

"Let me tell you a story while we wait, just to pass the time." The sullen voice of the demon tugged him away from his musings.

"It's not that I'm in any position to stop ya, so fire away," was the prisoner's reply.

x

"When Sam dragged us all down into the Cage, Michael and Lucifer were above pissed. You know, at the time I thought that angels were supposed to be the good guys but it didn't take long for Michael to show his true "angelic" colours.

At the start he would stand there with this holier-than-thou attitude and just watch uninterestedly as Lucifer took all his spleen out on Sam, but as time passed and boredom kicked in he would take his turn at getting a little fun torturing the one who had ruined all his Apocalyptic plans.

They were so enraged with Sam that they didn't give damn about me, and when they did remember that torturing me could have been a nice change of pace, my 'heroic' big brother would do his best to distract them from me.

For innumerable years I witnessed Sam's agony and I stayed unharmed thanks to him, but in one swift moment everything changed.

Sam's soul disappeared from the Cage, and after Michael and Lucifer got over their surprise, two sets of vengeful eyes turned in my direction.

It doesn't take much to guess the rest.

I took Sam's place on the rack but unlike my lion-hearted brother, I wasn't strong or stubborn and most of all I didn't have the memory of Sam and Dean's bond and all-encompassing love for one another that Sam had held on to to keep him sane.

So, here I am, probably the quickest soul in Hell to turn into a demon. Dean got Sam out of Hell and they left me to rot in the Cage," continued Adam.

"Once I turned into a demon, Lucifer and Michael got no fun out of torturing me any more and I was thrown out of the Cage and into Hell where my potential was spotted by no less than the King of Hell himself! He let me out and entrusted me with this little mission after he understood and encouraged my need for revenge," he concluded with a self-satisfied leer.

His eyes flashed black as his voice grew in pitch and he ended up yelling crazily about what he would do to the Winchesters; how he would break Sam's wall and make him remember the horrors he had suffered in the Cage, making sure that Dean got to hear every gory detail of his little brother's suffering; then taking his own sweet time he would fillet them in turn, one in front of the other, until they were reduced to bloody masses of flesh.

"If you're good Bobby, I'll let you sit in on the show; I'm sure you'll enjoy it," and with that he exited the cellar leaving Bobby stunned and terrified for the lives of his boys.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They waited until night fell, covering the open country-side in its shadowy cloak.

The brothers found the old farmstead with no problem, the black outline of the main house and outbuildings stark against the moonlight sky.

x

Dean pulled over to the side of the road behind a convenient clump of trees.

"If we can see them, they can see us," he murmured cursing the moon and her silver rays." No point in exposing ourselves if they're holding Bobby in there."

"What do you think Sam?" He turned his head towards his brother.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Dean. It's pretty isolated out here and anyone who approaches would be spotted right away with all that flatland around the buildings."

Dean lifted a pair of well-used binoculars to his eyes and began to study the lay-out.

The dirt-road they were on continued right up to the ramshackle house, at each side of which stood a barn.

There was an unnatural stillness about it all, as if the very air was waiting in anticipation for something, 'and that something is probably us,' Dean filled in mentally, a chill running down his spine.

x

He stole a glance at Sam and saw his own uneasiness reflected in his brother's expressive eyes.

"This has all the makings of a trap, Dean!" Sam's voice was agitated as he put into words what they both were thinking.

"Ya think, Sammy boy?"

"Yeah I do, Dean, and we can't just go barging in, guns blazing. It'll do Bobby no good if we get caught too."

"Well, Yatzee to that little bro."

Suddenly a pale yellow light flickered in one of the windows.

§ They're going for he old moth to a light trick. § Sam's thoughts reverberated in his head.

"Stay calm, Sammy!" Dean's voice soothed his brother's fears, "We'll just have to be smarter that whoever it is. There's no way we can get near without being seen, even under cover of darkness, but I've just had me a little idea..."

He projected his thoughts towards his brother who beamed a full-on Sammy smile right back at him.

They hated to leave Bobby for even one more hour in the hands of his kidnappers but there was nothing they could do till dawn.

x

Early next morning the two police cars raised clouds of dust as they roared along the dirt-road right up to the Jerome farmhouse and parked side by side next to the front door.

"Come on men, let's go see if that call last night about drug-runners attending to their business out here, has any truth to it," Jody Mills' voice rung out louder than usual, violating the quiet of the morning.

"Jim you go round back and you, Tom, go break out the rifles and come along with me. We'll go check inside." Jody's voice kept its high timbre.

Tom opened the boot of the first squad car and looked down onto the smirking face of Dean Winchester. He pulled out the fire-arm while Dean rolled out and crawled between the two cars.

§ Ready Sammy? Tom's coming over to you now §

§ Yeah, Dean, I'm good to go §

A few moments later Sam was at his side after Tom opened the trunk of the second car, allowing Sam to slide to the ground.

They crawled around the car nearest the wall and continued along the side of the house to the storm-shelter doors that Dean had spotted the night before.

They silently lifted the top flap and slipped in one after the other, closing it just as quietly behind them.

X

X

Some hours earlier.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When the brothers had returned to the Sheriff's office the night before and explained their plan to Jodie, she had at first been sceptical, but with the boys' assurances that things would go as planned she had let herself be convinced, albeit against her better judgement.

She was worried for Bobby too, but she didn't want to think of the young men before her walking into a trap.

"Everything will be fine, Sheriff," wheedled Dean, working his charm for all it was worth."We know what we're doing. We just have to get inside without being seen and we'll deal with the rest."

"Yeah, Sheriff," Sam butted in, turning on the puppy-eyes full force." Don't worry about us, we know how to take care of ourselves, and we have to get Bobby back. Who knows what's been happening to him; he could be in terrible danger." Sam threw that in for good measure, hoping in his heart of hearts that it wasn't true.

Jodie, like countless others, including the bad-ass, awesome hunter who answered to the name of Dean Winchester, could do nothing else but cave in to the power of those soulful hazel eyes.

"Okay, okay, I'm in," she grumbled, throwing her hands up in surrender. "We'll do it your way. Just don't get yourselves killed or Bobby will string me up from one of those junk-yard scrap heaps of his."

She was rewarded with a hundred-watt smile from both brothers.

'Hmm,' she thought silently to herself, 'I bet I'm not the first to have been sucker punched by these two impossibly cute dudes!'

None of her musings showed on her impassive face however!

x

"Okay, this is the plan," Dean, continued. "Sam and I will each hide in one of the car trunks, roll out and use the vehicles as cover to get near to the house. Then we get in through the cellar doors we spotted earlier. You and your deputies make as much noise as you logically can to cover us, but as soon as you see we're in, get your asses out of there; understand! We don't know what we're dealing with and we don't need any more hostages!"

Despite Jodie's misgivings, it seemed a sound plan and she nodded her assent.

" All right, but if I don't see you all back here safe and sound within twenty- four hours, I'm coming in."

"Fair enough, Sheriff," Sam agreed. If we're not out by then, we'll probably be dead meat anyway, he thought to himself.

x

§ Always the optimist, Sammy. What would I do without you! § Dean's mind-voice made itself heard.

§ You bet! How many times have I saved your ass, Dude! You should be down on your knees thanking me! §

§ Crap, Sam, even with telepathy your bitch-face comes through! §

They stopped, suddenly feeling the weight of three pairs of eyes on them.

"Okaay then, see you all at seven a.m.," were Dean's parting words as he shoved his younger sibling out through the office doors.

tbc


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The brothers slipped into the cellar and crouched down behind some dusty old boxes, rather conveniently placed in Dean's opinion and obviously in Sam's too.

§ Dean, you know we're walking into a trap here, right? §  
>§ No shit, Sherlock! It might have slipped your mind that we've been up all night preparing ourselves just for that! §<br>§ Yeah, preparing in a motel room is one thing but getting caught, is another. §  
>§ Come on Sam, you know my plans are awesome, just like me. §<p>

He felt Sam's mind-laugh and eye-roll even through the link. He had always known how to reassure his little brother.  
>That and looking out for him had been the raison-d'étre of his entire life; hunting came a far second to Sammy.<p>

Having got him back from Hell, even with the shaky wall keeping his memories at bay, was a gift Dean had never thought to receive, and added to that was the cherry on the cake of this newly discovered telepathic sharing with his sibling.

It was literally mind-blowing!

Not only could they communicate as if talking vocally but could send and receive the whole range of emotions from comfort to anger.  
>Dean wondered if perhaps the missing "Head Man" upstairs had decided that the Winchester brothers deserved a little compensation for what they had gone through to save the world, or if this gift had come spontaneously to the only two human brothers to have ever come out of Hell, without being turned into demons.<p>

The only thing that both of them had never attempted was to investigate Sam's wall.  
>Dean could feel it in Sam's mind but he was too afraid to go anywhere near it. The last thing he wanted was for his brother to re-live his Hell memories.<br>Dean still had his own and he knew exactly how agonising they were; he paled to think how much worse his brother's must be.

x

§ Dean! §  
>The voice called him back to reality.<br>He glanced at his brother, the soulful hazel eyes bright with unshed tears. He knew that Sam had heard every thought that had just passed through his mind and his big soft heart had brought on the moist puppy look.

§ Aw, Sam. Don't be such a girl. You didn't hear anything you didn't already know! §  
>Sam gave him a watery smile and sent a wave of love through the link.<br>§ Enough, Sasquatch! This is not the best moment to chick- flick. We're here to rescue Bobby, remember! §

Sam nodded.  
>§ I'm ready when you are, Dean. §<p>

§ Okay, we wait until we hear the sheriff's cars heading off back to town and then we move. We don't want to involve innocents in all this. §  
>Surely, a few minutes later they heard Jodie and the others yelling that there was nothing suspicious to be found, followed by the roar<br>of the cars pulling away from the homestead.

The boys moved forward together, a sickly light coming from a filthy little window illuminating the way.

§ Not exactly the Ritz is it? §

§ Shut up, Dean. Concentrate on the job. §

§ This from the one who was about to flood the place with tears a minute ago! §

§ When we get Bobby back, you are so not going to like what's coming for you! §

§ Bring it on Sammy Boy; I can take whatever you throw at me! §

x

Dean put his ear to the door in front of him. He could hear a muffled noise on the other side.

§ Sam? §  
>§ It's probably Bobby, Dean. Whoever has him is just waiting for us to go in. §<p>

§ Well, we don't want to disappoint them, do we? § and he pushed open the door.

x

Bobby heard the imperceptible movements on the other side of the door, just as he had heard Jodie and her men come and go.  
>He didn't have to be a genius to know that those two self-sacrificing knuckle-heads had come to rescue him.<br>He hoped to God they had some sort of plan because the future that the Adam demon had prospected for his boys was so awful that he preferred not to contemplate it.

The demon wasn't anywhere to be seen at the moment.  
>He was on his own, tied and gagged to this damn chair, but he knew that it was just biding its time until Sam and Dean entered.<br>With a squeak the door opened and he found himself face to face with the Winchesters.

"So glad you could make it, gentlemen," came a voice from behind Bobby. "I've been so anxious for this little family reunion."

Whatever they had been expecting, it wasn't this; and for once even Dean Winchester didn't have a snarky reply.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sam was the first to react after the initial shock of seeing his half-brother enter the room and take up his stance behind Bobby.

He felt a wave of happiness flow through him at the thought of Adam having been freed from the Cage, but the moment was fleeting as Adam's eyes turned black and the two Winchesters found themselves for the umpteenth time in their lives thrown against a wall and unable to move a muscle.

"Adam.." Sam struggled to speak, horrified by the demonic picture that Adam presented, but his vocal cords didn't seem to want to collaborate, paralyzed like the rest of his body.

"Well, well, what a nice family reunion with my two loving and concerned big brothers." smirked the demon.  
>"How long has it been now, nearly two years since our little fall into the Cage, Sam? Lots of things can happen in that time you know; like you abandoning me to my fate."<p>

x

"No, no, it wasn't like that," Sam managed to get out shakily, feeling his power of speech coming back to him. "I had no control over what happened. If I could have taken you with me or even let you go in my place, I would have."

"Yeah, and then nothing would have stopped me from going into the Cage and wringing your neck if you had done something so douchey," Dean grunted to himself as he listened to Sam's perpetual inclination to self-sacrifice rearing its head.

Dean had kept silent since entering the room, his calculating eyes assessing Bobby's condition, the layout of the basement and any likely escape routes. He was quite happy for Sam to distract the demon and allow him this strategic pause to consider their options.

His eyes met Bobby's, an imperceptible nod reassured him that the older man was unharmed. Other than the chair on which Bobby was sitting, the basement was empty. There was another door set in the wall opposite through which Adam had entered. That was it.

He had been fully expecting to find a demon, but not the one that was standing at this moment in front of Sam.  
>No matter! Adam or no Adam, if he laid a finger on Sammy he would find himself face to face with a very pissed off Dean Winchester.<p>

The elder Winchester had always nurtured mixed feelings towards his half-brother. For all that he was a passionate man himself and never one to pass on a one-night stand with an attractive girl, he had felt betrayed by his father when he had found out about Adam, and of how John had treated the boy to baseball games and stuff that he and Sam had never received.  
>Somehow, it seemed a betrayal of his mom too.<p>

x

He knew it was stupid; in fact Sam had accepted the whole thing with aplomb as if it was a near-normal occurrence.

However, it didn't mean that he'd wanted anything bad happen to the kid.  
>He'd been dismayed when he hadn't been able to get Adam out of Zachariah's green room but he knew well fine that given a choice between saving Sam and anyone else in whatever world, dimension or universe, he would forever choose Sam.<p>

He brought his attention back to the on-going conversation between Adam and Sam, the former spitting accusations and the second trying to reason with him.

"That's my Sammy, always trying for the soft puppy manoeuvre, but somehow I don't think it's going to work this time!" he grunted again.

He and Sam had worked out a simple plan the night before and all that they really needed now was a little distraction to set it in motion.

§ Ready Sammy §

They had decided not to use their telepathy in front of supernatural beings unless it was in life-threatening circumstances, preferring to keep it as their "secret weapon," but since the demon seemed to have messed with his voice, there was no other way to get Sam's attention.

Sam's eyes turned towards him in confirmation.

Great, now all that Dean needed was to get a hand free.

He glanced over at Bobby  
>"Hell, I wish I could mind-talk with him too," thought Dean to himself.<br>He rolled his eyes to the side trying to get Bobby to understand. It must have worked as Bobby first wobbled, then tipped his chair to the side and fell with an almighty thump.

x

The demon, momentarily distracted, turned its head towards the noise and Dean pulled on his hand trying to get it free.  
>He had nearly succeeded, but Adam must have suspected something, as he felt the black eyes turn towards him, his body again as immovable as a ten ton lorry.<p>

"Tsk, tsk, big brother, nice try, but you're not going anywhere; Sammy is going to put on a little show for us, as soon as I break down that rickety wall in his head. Just think, Dean, you're going to get to know everything that Lucifer and Michael did to sweet Sammy and then see him go insane; and that's just for starters.  
>After that I'm going to rip him to shreds strip by strip, right before your eyes and then it will be your turn," the malevolent black eyes glittered with sadistic glee.<p>

Dean's face paled at the words and he would have puked if his body hadn't been as hard as a board; the thought of what the demon was going to do to Sam impossible for him to bear.  
>He tried even harder to struggle but he couldn't move a muscle, though the demon had freed his voice, waiting to hear Dean's reaction.<p>

x

§ Dean! §  
>§ Dean, don't worry, it doesn't matter what he does to me. It can't be any worse than what happened in the Cage. §<br>Sam's soothing voice rolled into his mind, trying to comfort his brother.

§ No, Sammy, he's not going to get to do that to you! Not ever!§  
>§ How are we going to stop him? We can't move a muscle. §<p>

Out of the corner of his eye, Sam saw a movement at the broken basement window. His heart missed a beat.

§ Dean, distract Adam! §  
>Dean didn't bother questioning. He started to insult the demon causing him to turn towards him, giving his back to the window.<p>

Six shots rang out in rapid succession and centred Adam in the chest.  
>Dean and Sam felt themselves fall and immediately their hands went to their pockets.<p>

x  
>A dual exorcism began to fill the room with its Latin phrases, but the demon was already on its feet and Dean felt his back hitting the wall again.<p>

The exorcisms droned steadily on however, while Adam tried in vain to stop them and the brothers watched as a pillar of black smoke emerged from Adam's open mouth and disappeared into the filthy floor.

tbc


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

xxxxxxxxxx

The brothers watched as a pillar of black smoke emerged from Adam's open mouth and disappeared into the filthy floor,  
>his body flopping down like a dead fish<p>

Sam and Dean mirrored him, falling down heavilylike two heaps of boneless rags, exhausted by the continuous strain of trying to fight against the powerful hold in which the demon had imprisoned them.

§ Sam, you okay? §  
>§ Yeah, yeah, Dean. I'm fine. §<p>

Dean shakily pulled himself up and staggered his way over to Sam.  
>He hoisted his brother up by an arm, setting him on his feet again; his big brother protective mode always tuned to his brother's welfare.<p>

§ Come on, Sasquatch, are those freaky giraffe legs gonna hold you up or not? §  
>§ Dean, stop mother-henning me! I'm not a three-year old. §<br>§ Maybe not, but you were sure real close to getting your eggs scrambled there! §  
>§ Dean, that is just pathetic! §<p>

Sam rolled his eyes and let loose his most lethal bitch face while Dean exploded with the most heart-felt laugh to come out of his mouth in a long, long time.  
>He was still on an adrenaline high; his brother was safe, and so was Bobby!<p>

Oh, crap! Bobby!

Dean left Sam to fend for himself and crossed the room to where Bobby was lying on his side, still trussed up like a turkey.

"God, Bobby. Are you all right? Is anything broken?" Dean cupped the older man's neck with a concerned hand. "Come on Sammy, a little help here!"  
>The boys gently pulled Bobby and the chair to an upright position and Sam skilfully cut through the ropes and tight gag.<p>

They weren't prepared for Bobby's outburst.  
>"It took you two ladies long enough! I've been worrying my shirt-tails off hoping that you two chumps wouldn't walk straight in here without a working plan, and dang me if you didn't do just that.<br>I was sure that the last thing I was gonna get to see before I died was you two knuckle-heads shredded to pulp before my eyes,  
>by that damn demon brother o'yours."<p>

"Bobby, we're fine, we...," Sam tried.

"Don't interrupt me, boy! The next time, if you can't come to get me with a decent plan in place, just don't come at all. Now cut me free from this chair before my ass becomes one with it!"

"Yessir," two voices answered him in unison.

They helped him to his feet, holding on tight, but as soon as Bobby was free he pulled both his boys into a three way hug, holding on as if he would never let go.

"Well, well, well, who would have thought it? Crusty old Bobby Singer letting himself be held up and hugged like a two year old girl," came a voice from the door behind them.  
>"Is this a family affair or is everyone invited?"<p>

"Jodie! I thought we told you to get the hell out of here back to town," Dean rebuked her, rolling his eyes.

"Good job I didn't, handsome, or your asses would have been fricasseed by now. My men didn't want to leave me, but that's one of the perks of being in command; if I tell them to go, they go," she winked conspiratorially.

§ Are you listening, Sammy. That's good advice. When I tell you to go, why do you always do the opposite? §  
>§ Shut up, Dean! §<p>

I figured having a "secret weapon" around could come in handy," Jodie was saying.

"You could have gotten yourself killed," Dean grouched.  
>"I can look after myself, Winchester. I'm not just a pretty face, you know! "<p>

"We know," Sam added quickly. She **_had_** come to their rescue after all. " But that wasn't your normal everyday criminal, it was..."  
>"Halt right there! I so don't want to know," Jodie interrupted, lifting a hand in the air to stop Sam from continuing. "However seeing that today has turned into All Hugs Day, where's mine?"<p>

She found herself embraced by two strong pairs of arms and was surprised by the feelings of affection she experienced towards the brothers.  
>"They just cry out to be loved," she thought to herself, "and I'll be damned if I'm not starting to do just that!"<p>

She broke off the hug before she got teary-eyed and turned to Bobby.

"Can you manage to walk, old man? Come on, hang on to me and we'll have our hug while we walk, you big softie!" she smirked slipping an arm under Bobby's

Bobby kept his mouth resolutely shut and meekly accepted Jodie's help.

"You go on ahead and we'll clean up here," was Dean's parting remark.  
>"See that you two don't get into any more trouble, for today, at least," snapped Bobby, still upset after seeing them in Adam's clutches.<br>"We'll be right behind you, promise," grinned Dean.

§ Come on, Sammy, let's bring the body out to the Impala and get the hell out of here. §  
>§ 'IT' has a name, Dean, It's Adam. §<br>§ Yeah, whom we have already burnt once; this is gonna be the second time and I sincerely hope it's the last! §  
>§ Dean! §<br>§ Whatcha want me to say, Sam? He tried to hurt you and kill us. I can't say I'm feeling too forgiving right now. §  
>§ But Dean. §<br>§ Don't say that all this is your fault, Sam! Just... don't!§

Dean cut off the conversation and half-lifted Adam's body, glancing up at his brother.

§ You gonna give me a hand or not? §

Together they placed the body in the trunk of the Impala, checked out the rest of the house and basement, then drove off, leaving the homestead in their rear-view mirror

x  
>TBC<p> 


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The funeral pyre burned bright in a sheltered angle of the junk-yard. Two tall figures watched as the body was consumed by the voracious flames.  
>Dean could feel the sorrow mixed to guilt that was outpouring from his brother and he tried his best to console him by sending support through<br>their mind-link.

He too, felt sorrow for Adam, who had been so cruelly killed by ghouls for no other reason than the fact of being born John's son, but at the same time, no less than a day ago, albeit in demon form, he had been hell-set on bringing down Sam's wall and ripping them both to shreds; so, yeah, he felt sorry for the kid but he wasn't on any kind of guilt trip like Sam seemed to be.  
>He marvelled at his brother, always willing to take the blame of the world on his shoulders even when absolutely guiltless.<p>

§ Come on, Sam. None of this is your bad things just happen. §

§ Adam had it in for me specifically Dean; after all I pulled him into the Cage. §

§ No, Sam. This, all that's happened since the day you were born, and I mean ALL of it, the Apocalypse included, not one single thing was your fault. It's all on the douche-bags in Heaven and Hell.  
>They set the whole destiny crap in motion and we were just designed to be pawns in their hands.<br>You didn't ask for the demon blood; hell, you were a baby! Neither did we ask to be the vessels for Michael and Lucifer, nor for any of the other crap that they threw at us.  
>They tried to separate us and make us lose our trust in one another and they nearly succeeded, but in the end, you, Sammy, overcame the devil himself and threw him right back into the Cage.<br>Man,you don't know how much I wanted to throw myself in right after you but I didn't, just because of that stupid promise I made you.  
>From now on, little brother, just so you know; whatever hole you throw yourself down I'll be right behind you. You're never leaving me like that again. §<p>

Dean didn't have to glance at his brother to know that his eyes were brimming with tears. He felt the surge of Sam's emotions  
>as clearly as if they were his own.<p>

§ Dean, I know you hate chick-flick moments and I know that you already know it, butI'm gonna say it anyway, I love you, bro. You're the best brother anyone could wish for §

§ Right back at you, Sammy. §

Dean didn't need to say anything else, the wave of love that rolled over Sam through their link was more than eloquent.

They waited in respectful silence until there was nothing left but ashes; then they made their way slowly back to the house.

Bobby was stretched out on the sofa, which for him was pretty unusual, but after a week in Adam's hands he knew he needed time  
>to recuperate. The demon had given him enough food and water to keep him alive but his wrists and ankles were raw from the cords and from his efforts to free himself, not to mention his back, from the hours tied to that dang chair.<p>

He heard the door open and the boys' footsteps as they entered the sitting room.

"Hey, Bobby, how're you feeling?"  
>"Well, for one thing, I didn't know that this couch was so comfy. That's probably because one or both of you, usually have your asses parked on it"<p>

"You aren't still angry with us, are you, Bobby," asked Sam.  
>"Nah, there's no point. You two are as stubborn as mules," Bobby shrugged.<p>

"You could thank us that we saved you bacon," quipped Dean.

§ Shut up, Dean! You're just gonna make him mad at us again. § Sam sent through the link.

"Cocky, aren't you for a guy who just a few hours ago was gonna get ripped to shreds by his demon half-brother!" countered Bobby.

"Come on, we HAD a plan. We exorcised Adam, didn't we? Look, Bobby." From his pocket, Dean pulled out a small rectangular object wrapped in a strip of flannel.

"We knew it was a demon because of the sulphur we found on your floor, so we bought a couple of powerful mini voice-recorders  
>and we recited the exorcisms into them.<br>Then we soaked the cloth in holy water and salt, let them dry out a bit and wrapped them round the recorders."

"Yeah," bitched Sam, "Dean made me rip up one of my favourite shirts!"  
>"Come on, Dude, that shirt was in tatters; there was no way you were wearin' it."<br>"So not true! I could still have used it another couple of times, and anyway I wanted to keep it for its sentimental value!"

This time it was Dean who rolled his eyes at his brother.

"Hell, but you two never change. When are you gonna stop bickerin' like four year olds," Bobby's voice was rough but his heart was  
>content to hear his boys. It meant that for today, at least, they were safe and sound.<p>

"Anyway, as I was saying before Sasquatch here interrupted, they were practically demon-proof. All we needed to do was turn them on and Adam couldn't have touched them. We got the two just in case one didn't work."

"Good job Jodie fired a clip into Adam then, otherwise your great plan would have gone up in smoke, seein' that up till then you didn't get the chance to turn them on! If she hadn't stayed behind, you could have kissed your sweet asses good-bye," snarked Bobby.

"Aw, come on, Bobby, it all ended well." Dean grinned, putting on the most innocent face he could manage, and Bobby couldn't stop the smile appearing on his own at Dean's antics.

"Yeah, we're good, chuckle-heads, we're good!"

"Sam, the pantry's bare. You feel up to going out on a food run?" asked Bobby.

"Sure, Bobby, no problem."

Dean threw Sam the Impala's keys.

§ Be careful, Sammy! Don't talk to strangers! §  
>§Shut up, Dean. I'm not a kid! § Sammy's virtual bitch-face slammed into his mind.<p>

§ Ouch! There's no need to bitch like that. In my eyes you ARE a kid, a six foot four, 200 pound, wall of muscle, kid! §  
>He received another bitch-face for his trouble while Sam huffed out the door to the epic words of § Don't forget the pie, Sammy!§<p>

Bobby waited until he heard the Impala roar down the yard.  
>"Dean, just how much does Sam remember about the Cage?"<br>"Why are you asking, Bobby?"

"Well, Adam told me that Sam looked after him in the Cage and distracted Lucifer's attention from the boy, taking all the torture on himself but when Sam's soul was pulled out of the pit by Death, Lucifer started in on the kid, who didn't have the resistance and got turned into a demon practically right away.  
>Just thought you should know that's all. Adam wanted revenge on Sam for having got out and leaving him there."<p>

Dean's face turned pale at the thought of the torture his little brother must have endured, but at the same time his heart  
>was full of pride for Sam's courage.<p>

"I don't exactly know what Sam remembers from the pit and I don't want to bring up the subject at all, in case it affects  
>his wall," answered a worried Dean.<br>" I'm glad you told me this, Bobby, but don't say anything to Sam as he'll just start blaming himself even more."

"Whatever you say, Dean," Bobby shrugged. "You know your brother better than anyone. By the way how's the whole telepathic thing going?"

"It's... " he couldn't come up with a word to describe it.  
>"I take it it's good then?" supplied Bobby. "Yeah, Bobby, it's real good!"<p>

"You Winchesters; never know what you're gonna come up with next," dead-panned Bobby.

x

The End ( for now)


End file.
